1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for effecting forced entry. More specifically, the present invention is a packable battering ram that is quickly and easily disassembled into its constituent parts for transport by one or more persons.
2. Description of the Related Art
Battering rams have been used throughout the ages for penetrating fortified positions. Battering rams are commonly used today by the military, law enforcement, firefighters, emergency response workers, and other public safety personnel to effect forced entry into a building or structure. Typical battering rams, however, are limited by their design to function solely to breach a door or other barricade, and are without the ability to act as a cutting, chopping, or prying devices upon the door or barricade.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,171 (the '171 patent), for example, discloses a typical battering ram that includes a bulky, concrete-filled cylinder with an epoxy resin head. The battering ram disclosed in '171 patent, however, is physically difficult to pack due to both its bulky design and its weight.
A typical soldier will lose one mile per day for every ten pounds over forty he must carry, so the inability of traditional cumbersome battering rams to be comfortably carried or packed has often lead soldiers, law enforcement officers, and other such public safety personnel to jettison the devices if the likelihood of use is low. Should such a device later be needed, the soldier must instead implement improvised methods of entry, such as shooting through the door or using explosives. Such improvised methods are dangerous for the user, and also increase the possibility of collateral damage to whomever or whatever is on the other side of the door.
Thus, a need exists for a comfortable, multi-use, packable battering ram with an ergonomic design and weight optimization to ease the burden of transport during lengthy operations.
Such a battering ram is at least thirty pounds in weight but can be disassembled into constituent parts so that no person is tasked with carrying more than twenty pounds.